Coronavirus: lack of vitamin D increases danger of Covid-19 infection, study says
Low levels of vitamin increase odds of hospitalisation in virus patients
A significant majority of patients hospitalised by Covid-19 have low levels of vitamin D, a new study has revealed.
After testing 216 coronavirus patients at the Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital in Spain, researchers found that 82% had a vitamin D deficiency, with men more likely to have low levels than women.
Patients with low rates of the vitamin also showed “increased serum levels of inflammatory markers such as ferritin and D-dimer when they had low levels of vitamin D”, Sky News says. “Levels of inflammatory markers rise in the body when it is fighting off an infection,” the broadcaster adds.
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Dr Jose Hernandez, one of the lead researchers, said medics should “identify and treat vitamin D deficiency”, especially in high-risk individuals such as the elderly and nursing home residents, who are the “main target population for Covid-19”.
“Vitamin D treatment should be recommended in Covid-19 patients with low levels of vitamin D circulating in the blood since this approach might have beneficial effects in both the musculoskeletal and the immune system,” he added.
Last month, a separate study by Boston University found sufficient levels of vitamin D make people less likely to experience complications and die from coronavirus, while researchers have also found that it could reduce rates of infection.
Symptoms of low vitamin D levels include tiredness, weakness, muscle and bone pain. As well as sunlight and supplements, other sources of vitamin D include oily fish, meat and eggs, as well as fortified breakfast cereals, soya milk and vegetable margarines.
In April, Public Health England recommended taking daily vitamin D supplements through the spring and summer due to combat lockdown restrictions.
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Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
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